Liquid ink cartridge with recessed fill hole and ink tank vent

Abstract

A fluid cartridge, such as a cartridge for filling with ink for use in ink jet printhead includes a wick chamber that has outer walls, including a top wall, and an ink chamber formed of a plurality of outer walls. A fluid conduit connects the ink chamber and the wick chamber. The outer walls of the ink chamber are formed to provide no fluid communication between the ink chamber and the ambient environment, except through the fluid conduit and the wick chamber. A vent opening through the top wall of the wick chamber provides communication between the wick chamber and the ambient environment, and an outlet opening through an outer wall other than the top wall of the wick chamber provides fluid communication for the ink to flow from the wick chamber. A vent tube extends from the vent opening into the interior of the wick chamber, and projections extend from the top wall of the wick chamber into the interior of the wick chamber, farther than does the vent tube.

What is claimed:  
     
       1. A fluid cartridge for supplying fluid on demand, the cartridge comprising: 
       a wick chamber having a plurality of outer walls defining an interior;  
       an outlet opening through an outer wall of the wick chamber;  
       a vent opening through an outer wall of the wick chamber;  
       a vent tube extending from the vent opening into the interior of the wick chamber;  
       structure adjacent the vent tube extending into the interior of the wick chamber, wherein the structure adjacent the vent tube extends further into the interior of the wick chamber than does the vent tube;  
       a fluid chamber having a plurality of outer walls; and  
       a fluid conduit between the fluid chamber and the wick chamber;  
       wherein the outer walls of the fluid chamber are formed to provide no fluid communication with the fluid chamber except through the wick chamber.  
     
     
       2. The cartridge of claim  1 , additionally comprising wick material in the wick chamber. 
     
     
       3. The cartridge of claim  2 , additionally comprising a vent tube extending from the vent opening into the interior of the wick chamber, and wherein the structure adjacent the vent opening extends farther into the interior of the wick chamber than does the vent tube. 
     
     
       4. The cartridge of claim  1 , wherein the vent opening is above the outlet opening and above the fluid conduit between the ink chamber and the wick chamber. 
     
     
       5. The cartridge of claim  4 , wherein: 
       one of the outer walls of the wick chamber is a top wall; and  
       the vent opening is through the top wall of the wick chamber.  
     
     
       6. The cartridge of claim  5 , additionally comprising: 
       a vent tube extending from the vent opening into the interior of the wick chamber; and  
       projections extending from the top wall of the wick chamber into the interior of the wick chamber, wherein the projections extend farther into the wick chamber than does the vent tube.  
     
     
       7. A cartridge for supplying ink on demand to an ink-jet printhead, the cartridge comprising: 
       a housing having a top wall, a bottom wall, and a plurality of side walls all defining a substantially hollow housing interior, wherein the housing additionally comprises a divider extending from the top wall toward the bottom wall, and extending between two of the side walls to divide the hollow housing interior into a wick chamber and an ink chamber;  
       a fluid conduit between the wick chamber and the ink chamber; wick material in the wick chamber;  
       a vent opening through the top wall of the housing into the wick chamber;  
       a vent tube extending from the vent opening into the wick chamber portion of the housing interior;  
       ribs extending vertically from the top wall of the housing into the wick chamber portion of the housing interior, wherein the ribs extend farther into the wick chamber portion of the housing interior than does the vent tube opening to prevent the wick material from contacting the vent tube; and  
       an outlet opening through a wall of the wick chamber portion of the housing, wherein the outer walls of the ink chamber portion of the housing are formed to provide no fluid communication between the interior of the ink chamber and the ambient environment except through the wick chamber.